Now that we are a couple weeks out from the Rumble and on the "Road to WrestleMania" (TM), I thought it'd be fun to see where people thought we might be going with Mania this year. Below is my guess:
Universal Championship Match
Brock Lesnar (c) vs Braun Strowman
I commend WWE for making the decision to not feed Strowman back to Lesnar in another meaningless match that everyone knows he won’t win. I also liked the way they went about it by again showing Braun as somewhat uncontrollable and being a guy that’s unpredictable and adds elements of excitement to the show in that fashion.
As such, I’d love to see Braun take out Baron Corbin and steal his spot in the Rumble and go on to win and get the main event spot against Lesnar. At that point, Lesnar will have had his fight in UFC, so keeping the belt on him won’t be necessary, there’s also rumors circulating that he’ll retire from UFC and will possibly be taking a bigger step away from WWE too. Braun is the natural to take the belt and run with it for a while.
WWE Championship
Daniel Bryan (c) vs John Cena
There’s a couple different ways WWE could go with the SD main event scene. I saw a thought that they might get Shawn to wrestle in a mentor vs pupil type of match. I just don’t really see it. As such I see the John Cena going for his 17th world championship against a guy with a real personal history that WWE can draw upon and build a more compelling feud. I think Cena will wind up winning, but I’d put it on the undercard with Lesnar/Strowman as the main event.
US Championship
Rusev (c) vs EC3 vs Shinsuke Nakamura vs Mustafa Ali
This match would be more about giving a full introduction of EC3 to the WWE audience. I’d have him win the match in a hectic showcase of a lot of talent. Having EC3 winning as a heel by stealing a victory from Mustafa Ali would also give him a natural first feud for his first title defense.
IC Championship
Bobby Lashley (c) vs Sami Zayn vs Apollo Crews
Lashley winning the IC belt from Ambrose was an interesting choice at this stage of things, but now they’ve got to run with it. Put him in a match with a returning Sami Zayn, switching the roles they’ve previously been in before Zayn was put on the shelf. Crews can work his way into this match be getting a win against Lashley and Zayn in separate matches. Zayn wins the belt and goes onto a run.
RAW Women’s Championship
Ronda Rousey (c) vs Becky Lynch vs Charlotte
I see the women’s rumble ending with Becky and Charlotte hitting the floor at the same time and both going on to face Rousey for the RAW belt. Once in the match, the WWE have to give the audience what probably amounts to the decision they want the most with Becky winning the belt and continuing her fantastic run.
SD Women’s Championship
Asuka (c) vs Nikki Cross
On the other side of the card Nikki Cross manages to win a #1 contenders match at Fastlane and takes on Asuka. Cross wins with the help of Sanity as they begin to show what this faction can really do. Tag and midcard belts can be won at a later date.
Women’s Tag Championship
Bayley/Sasha (c) vs Mandy Rose/Sonya DeVille vs Riott Squad
It was announced on RAW that these titles will debut with an Elimination Chamber match and teams from RAW and SD can compete for them. It only makes sense for Bayley and Sasha to be the first winners of these belts. Bayley and Sasha win the belts when Naomi distracts Mandy Rose.
Cruiserweight Open Challenge
Buddy Murphy (c) vs Drew Gulak vs Kalisto vs Lince Dorado vs Sin Cara vs Noam Dar
Kalisto wins the belt for Lucha House Party after a great up tempo showcase of the cruiserweights.
Grudge Match
The Miz vs Shane McMahon
So, I feel like this one is a natural. Shane and Miz will unsuccessfully make a run at the tag belts, leading to a feud between the two at Mania. Miz gets the win.
Grudge Match
Rey Mysterio vs Samoa Joe
Joe continues his run through the list of WWE heroes and assaults Mysterio for weeks before Rey actually gets the surprise roll up win to continue this feud into the next PPV.
Debut Match
Lars Sullivan vs Finn Balor
Sullivan seems to be getting the big push out of the debut guys and therefore will likely get a singles match. Balor would be a good competitor for him, can get some good offense in and also do a good job of selling the big man’s offense. Sullivan gets the win in a brutal fight.
Street Fight
Dean Ambrose vs Seth Rollins
This feud doesn’t feel like it’s really reached its true conclusion yet and it needs a good finish. After Ambrose costs Rollins in the Rumble and then Rollins costs Ambrose the Elimination Chamber match they fight backstage at Fastlane before this brawl at Mania with Rollins coming out on top.
Interbrand Match
AJ Styles vs Drew McIntyre
I’d have the WWE do something a little different and announce a match with implications on a new draft/roster shakeup. Each brand gets to name someone to represent and the winner gets the first pick for their show. Vince has shown interest in both of these guys on camera and they make sense as the combatants for this fight. It would also give both a good showcase at Mania.
Championship Opportunity Gauntlet Match
I’d have the next #1 contender determined by a gauntlet match with other guys that haven’t been included in the card yet. Elias picks up the win and faces Strowman at the next PPV.